Chinese scientists design 3D e-skin

A team of Chinese scientists has created the world's first bio-inspired electronic skin with a 3D structure that mimics three mechanical signals found in human skin. By mimicking this spatial distribution, researchers from Tsinghua University developed an e-skin that replicates the structure of human skin, featuring its own "epidermis", "dermis" and "subcutaneous tissue". The e-skin is capable of achieving simultaneous decoding and perception of three mechanical signals — pressure, friction and strain — at the physical level, according to a study published recently in the journal Science. "Their spatial arrangement closely mimics the distribution of tactile receptor cells within human skin."